>"reverse engineering process of a real-world hardware implant discovered inside of a Ledger Nano X cryptocurrency hardware wallet."
The z386 project aims to implement the Intel 80386 processor core on an FPGA. Recent optimizations have significantly improved its performance, including the implementation of early start memory access and a reduction in branch jump cycles from 9.25 down to six through microcode refinements. These changes resulted in approximately a 39% increase in DOOM benchmark scores, though the project still falls short of original hardware speed and cannot yet boot Windows.
- Implementation of early start memory access for FPGA cores
- Optimization of store queues and branch jump timing
- Significant performance gains in gaming benchmarks
- Implementation of early start memory access for FPGA cores
- Optimization of store queues and branch jump timing
- Significant performance gains in gaming benchmarks
Following his successful creation of a 7:1 scale Arduino UNO Rev3, creator UncleStem has developed a matching oversized "turtle robot" designed to operate with the massive board. Using a standard-sized turtle robot as a blueprint, he scaled up every component by utilizing functional equivalents, such as high-power motors intended for kids' ride-on vehicles and 3D-printed shells that mimic the appearance of original miniature parts. The resulting mega-robot functions identically to its small counterpart, using an ultrasonic sensor on a servo mount to navigate around obstacles.
The author explores the potential of running an AI agent framework on low-cost hardware by testing MimiClaw, an OpenClaw-inspired assistant, on an ESP32-S3 microcontroller. Unlike traditional AI setups, MimiClaw operates without Node.js or Linux, requiring the user to flash custom firmware using the ESP-IDF framework. The setup integrates with Telegram for interaction and utilizes Anthropic and Tavily APIs for intelligence and web searching. Despite the technical hurdles of installation and potential API costs, the project successfully demonstrates a functional, sandboxed, and low-power personal assistant capable of persistent memory and routine tracking.
AirLLM is an open-source library that allows large language models to run on consumer hardware using layer-wise inference. By loading layers sequentially, it enables 70B parameter models to operate on as little as 4GB of VRAM. Optimized for research and batch processing, it features block-wise quantization for up to 3x faster performance on Linux and Apple Silicon.
This article provides a guide on building a DIY high-end Bluetooth speaker in only 30 minutes using an ESP32 and simple hobbyist components. Using a LILYGO T-Display board, which supports the Bluetooth Classic protocol required for A2DP audio streaming, the project pairs with a MAX98357A module to act as a digital-to-analog converter and amplifier. The setup uses the I2S interface for audio transmission and can even display track information and connection status on the onboard TFT screen. It is an excellent, quick project for electronics enthusiasts looking to repurpose spare parts into a functional, polished audio device.
This guide documents the setup of OpenClaw on a Raspberry Pi 5 w/ 8GB RAM and how to give it access to a TFT display, temperature/pressure sensor, USB camera, and NeoPixels. It uses eSpeak text-to-speech and Whisper Small speech-to-text to enable speech based communication with the bot.
Discussion thread about using a Seeed Studio reTerminal E1002 color ePaper display as a Home Assistant dashboard.
A technical overview of intercepting and decoding satellite communications, detailing hardware, software, and techniques used for signal acquisition and decryption.
Deep inside a Texas mountain, a vast mechanical clock urges humanity to measure time on the scale of civilisation.
